can auto recalculate be turned off for some cells but not all ?

I have worked out how to turn auto recaculate on and off by using Tools > Cell Content > Autocalculate, but is it possible to turn off autocalc for a single column / single row / single cell on a sheet while keeping it on for the rest of the sheet ?

3 Answers

The answer (no) has already been given, but it is possible to simulate what you want by a formula. In the following example column B is calculated (A * 2). We want to turn off the automatic calculation for the range B5:B9 (green)

E1: TRUE to calculate B5:B9, FALSE not to calculate it (screenshot displays "FAUX" because my interface is in French).

C5:C9 copy-paste only the value of B5:B9

The idea is simple if E1 = FALSE, B5:B9 must return the content of C5:C9, otherwise perform the initial calculation (A5:A9 * 2)

Of course one does not change one by one the formulas. Using the Find & Replace:

Workarounds will exist, however. I think we may even simplify the suggestions by @pierre-yves samyn , at least under the condition of 'Iterative References' being permitted. We then can use a circular reference for keeping a former value. A conditional expression testing a trigger will suspend the recursion and temporarily apply the proper formula for recalculation of the value of the cell concerned if ordered.